Nigerian pepper soup

Ingredients

• 1 kg goat, beef or fish (catfish or tilapia), cut into pieces
• 2 litres of water
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cubes of broth
• (meat or fish)
• 2 tbsp Kalahari pepper soup mix (or make your own, see below)
• 2 scotch bonnet chillies (or habanero), whole
• 2 cm fresh ginger, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  2 stalks spring onion, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Optional: A handful of utuku leaves (bitter leaf) or sjangassang leaves

For homemade pepper soup mix (these can be replaced with 2 tablespoons of ready-made mix):

• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
• 1 tsp whole allspice
• 1 tsp whole clove seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 cinnamon stick, crushed
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tsp chilli powder

Approach

If you're making your own pepper soup mix, toast all the whole spices (peppercorns, allspice, cloves, fennel, coriander) in a dry pan until they become aromatic. Cool and crush in a mortar or spice grinder. Mix with ginger and chilli powder.

In a large saucepan, cook meat or fish in water with onion and bouillon cubes. For meat, cook until tender (about 45 minutes). For fish, cook for 10-15 minutes.

Add the pepper soup mix, whole chillies, ginger and garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.

If you're using bitterleaf or chanson, add them now and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt. Be careful, as the bouillon cubes already contain salt.

Sprinkle with chopped spring onions before serving.

Serve hot as an appetiser or main course. For the main course, serve with cooked white rice, yams or plantain. Some people also like to squeeze a little lime or lemon over the soup before eating.

Tips
Kalahari pepper soup mix can be found in African grocery stores, but you can make your own with local spices.
Use whole chillies for aroma without too much heat. If you prefer it stronger, chop the chilli.

This soup is considered to have medicinal properties, especially good for clearing the airways and stimulating sweating during colds.

In Nigeria, more exotic meats are often used, such as ox feet, oxtail points or offal, but you can use whatever is available.

Utuku (bitter leaf) leaves and sjangassang add a unique flavour, but can be omitted or replaced with spinach.

Enjoy your hot, spicy Nigerian pepper soup!